by Lindsey Valdiviez

No two families are the same. Senior Maggie Bowen’s family consists of her mother, grandmother and sister. Junior Maggie Hutchison’s family consists of her mother and father, six other siblings and a foreign exchange student. Junior Arinna Hoffine’s family consists of her mother, stepfather, two sisters and four stepsisters. Some STA girls have one sibling. Some have no siblings. Some have one parent. Others have two of the same sex.

Though many STA families differ in structure, our families have much more in common than we think. When our families enroll us at STA, we join a network of families with similar interests.

Our parents or guardians share a common-ground: making sure we, as young women, are happy, successful and comfortable. Long before our families knew we would attend STA, our parents or guardians set goals for us.

Our families consider the best possible circumstances for our academic success. They value obtaining a faith-based education for us. Additionally, a quality education is high on our families’ list of priorities. Our families are very cognizant that a superb education is imperative for their daughters’ future success. STA’s 99 percent college attendance rate also shows our families want us to continue receiving an education after high school.

STA connects all these values our families hold. When our families are asked “Where does your daughter/sister/granddaughter go to high school?” “St. Teresa’s,” is their answer. It’s all of our families’ answers. Despite the diverse composition of each family, STA remains our common ground and is the safeguard for our academic, spiritual and future successes.